Administration Offers Fiscal 2001 Budget

The proposed Department of Transportation budget for the next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1, calls for more highway spending but allocates most of a $1.5 billion windfall in motor fuel tax revenue to non-road spending.

The proposal from the White House envisions additional funding for roadside inspections and other motor carrier safety programs. The Clinton administration also is trying again to impose new or increased user fees for all modes of transportation.

As usual, the largest portion of DOT’s budget is earmarked for federal aid to highways. The road program is slated to get $27.3 billion, nearly 7% more than the current spending level. However, as fuel prices have fallen, gas and diesel consumption has risen, and the result is more tax money flowing into the federal government’s Highway Trust Fund. DOT officials want to use most of the unanticipated revenue for programs that don’t involve road work — safety, transit, rail and environmental programs, for example.

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